Rainy Day Musings

One would think that living in a city like Seattle I’d have a year’s worth of blogs all titled “Rainy Day Musings”. Contrary to popular belief, we’re nowhere near the rainiest city in the nation. Not sure if it’s a real fact, or if I made it up in the middle of the night, but I believe every major city on the east coast receives far more than our paltry 37″ of rain annually. But with that said – sometimes it does rain here. And today, rain it did. In abundance. At 5:01 as I excited the Visitor Center the heavens opened up and out poured bucketfuls of reminders of a rainy-season to come.

I hurried from awning to covered-storefront hoping to find a little oasis of drydom among my city of rain – but I failed. Shoppers and other 5-o’clock-departers (like myself) huddled in masses beneath every available overhang. I scowled at passersby with umbrellas up who forced me out from under awnings. DON’T THEY REALIZE THEIR UMBRELLAS ARE LIKE PERSONAL, MOBILE AWNINGS?! I said nothing, but continued my slog to the 3rd & Pike bus stop.

Rain-wary soon-to-be-seatmates packed together like sardines in the sideless Metro shelter – eyes wide with excitement in anticipation that our bus might be the next. I felt a brush against my leg and turned (anticipating a child or midget), but instead found the best part of my day: Patches, a beautiful harlequin great dane. A beauty of statuesque wet dogness leaned against my leg as if her leash was attached to MY wrist. Instead, I looked to her side and saw her disabled owner sitting on the bench at her other side. Conversations began – soon including the majority of my rainshack neighbors. How old? How much does she eat? How long have you had her? And then my bus arrived. As I jumped into the welcoming doors, I was delighted to hear Patches’ four feet clomping behind me. She and her owner sat opposite my usual side-facing seat and we continued the conversation until they eventually exited. I was left with a smile – and a hand smelling much like wet-dog – thinking how much better this was than my previous day of Ms. Smelly and Mr. Grunty on the bus ride home.